20 January 2009

The government requires the support of all 7 cross-benchers in the Senate to pass
a bill opposed by the Coalition. A vote of no by any one of these senators can sink
the government's bill, which puts them in a powerful position. This is how the FuelWatch
scheme was killed off.

The Greens, who have described the plan as "daft", will almost certainly vote against
this legislation.

The positions of Senator Fielding and Senator Xenophon are unclear, but they support
the idea of Internet censorship. Senator Fielding is the most likely to vote in
favour of the filter because of his party's socially conservative values.